Aside from having a fascinating production history and being a major influence on Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli, this French animated masterwork is a great film on its own merits. Adjectives such as imaginative and beautiful do not even begin to do its creative visuals and humane story justice. It's meditative and uplifting, and I only wish contemporary American animation could take note, but that would not sell toys I suppose.The King and the Mockingbird (1980) is underrated and rarely seen; this should not be. The Criterion Collection has released about two animated films in its entire existence: Akira on Laserdisc and The Fantastic Mr. Fox on Blu-ray and DVD (but that has more to do with their obsession with Wes Anderson than concern over the lack of animation in their library). The King and the Mockingbird has never had a US release as far as I know, and Criterion would be perfect for putting this influential film out there.

In the spirit of the holiday season I decided to finally watch this classic of animation. Although not an official Christmas movie, I think its light-heartedness and ideas of heroism, solidarity and the triumph of love over tyranny make it a perfect movie for this time of the year.In the vertical kingdom of Takicardia the King Charles V + III = VIII + VIII = XVI rules with an iron fist. He likes no one and no one likes him. His hobby is hunting birds, which attracts the enmity of the title's Mockingbird, a joyful talking bird. The story properly begins when one night the King's portrait comes to life and falls in love with the portrait of a shepherdess, who in turn loves the portrait of a chimney sweep next to her. The King's portrait kills the real one and pursues the fugitive star-crossed lovers, who use the Mockingbird's help to evade the dangers and obstacles on their path to freedom.Paul Grimault and screenwriter Jacques Prévert found the inspiration for this magical story in one of Hans Christian Andersen's many fairy-tales. Production started in 1948 and, after a shorter version came out in 1952, it was released in its complete version in 1980. More than thirty years in the making, The King and the Mockingbird is now considered one of the best animated movies ever made and fans of Japanese animation may like to know that Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki consider it an influence on their work.Like these animators, Grimault and Prévert don't believe animation precludes seriousness. Hidden inside a simple love story is a bigger story about tyranny and class difference. The creators make several parallels between the King and Hitler: in some shots they look the same; in his cult of personality (a factory works non-stop to produce statues of his majesty); and in an scene when he sentences the chimney sweep and the Mockingbird to forced labour, he declares that work is freedom, eerily evoking Auschwitz' motto. The other face of the exuberant Takicardia is the Lower City, a community of poor people living under the streets, hidden from the sun, who maintain hope alive thanks to a blind musician.The animation, very traditional-looking in appearance, is one of the movie's best assets. The Kingdom of Takicardia, designed like an exaggerated fairy-tale castle, is characterized by long vertical lines and deep perspective, giving it the illusion of infinite space. Some of the best scenes are those that simply reveal details of its architecture, like the never-ending steep staircases, the long corridors, or the sombre streets of the cave-like Lower City. There's also retro look in the way technology is drawn (there's a giant robot in the movie that could have walked out of a '50s science fiction movie), and the attention to little details invite the viewer to study each frame for a few minutes just to absorb everything.Fans of animation in the style of the bizarre 2003 French movie The Triplets of Belleville will probably love The King and the Mockingbird. It's a fairy-tale movie full of magic and humor, told in a very tender way with a life-affirming final message. I challenge anyone to watch this movie and not be emotionally affected by it.

I remember watching this in school when i was a kid, later i had a tremendous struggle trying to find it again, finally got it in my hands & have watched it like 10 times since! Animation made by computer opens new grounds for sure, but most of it (if not all until today) has no soul at all, no replaying value either. Check this & don't mind the language, is so well gestured by the characters you'll understand most of & it has an excellent score as well. I can see cubist & futurist artistic movements influenced this movie too. Nothing comes close, even the best anime movie from japan!Only movie i ever will put a 10 on, i guess!

I saw this movie only once in a cinema, as a child, shortly after it was released. I still remembered scenes and bits of it more than 20 years later! I recall feeling particularly moved by the poor people kept captive underground, which evidences that children's stories must not necessarily be devoid of suffering and injustice. On the contrary: this kind of plot may feed children's sense of indignation and thus ultimately contribute to a better world.This film is one of those rare pieces of art that are a true explosion of fantasy that will capture a child's imagination completely, combined with an underlying message that will also fascinate adults.I bought the superbly produced "Édition Collector 2 DVD" set (Zone 2) through Amazon France about a year ago and it has become one of the favorite movies of my 5-year-old son, too, although neither of us speaks a word of French...